David Pyott, retired chief executive and chairman of Allergan Inc., now Allergan PLC, will be the headliner next month at the annual Ophthalmology Technology Summit put on by OCTANe, an Aliso Viejo-based booster group for life sciences and other forms of technology.
Pyott, who ran Allergan from 1998 until its sale last year to Dublin-based Actavis PLC for $72 billion, will be interviewed at the summit by James Mazzo, chief executive of Irvine-based corneal device maker AcuFocus Inc. The summit takes place June 21 at the Center Club in Costa Mesa.
Mazzo also is a veteran of Allergan; he spent 22 years with the company before leaving to head Advanced Medical Optics Inc., which Allergan spun off in 2002 and which was acquired by Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories.
The summit’s purpose “is to create a local forum where … ophthalmology technologists, researchers, clinicians, investors and entrepreneurs can come together to discuss current industry trends, innovative clinical requirements and new business opportunities all to fuel the ophthalmology ecosystem in Orange County and beyond,” according to an OCTANe email publicizing the program.
Summit speakers represent a wide swath of OC’s eye device sector.
They also include Ron Bache, an Allergan special adviser who sold glaucoma device maker AqueSys Inc. to Allergan last October; Bruce Hallett, managing director of Corona del Mar-based Miramar Venture Partners; Bill Meury, Allergan’s newly minted chief commercial officer who oversees the company’s Irvine-housed eye care business; Mike Neilon, vice president of Laguna Hills-based Glaukos Corp.; and Dr. Roger Steinert, director of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute of the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine.
Canadian Agency Clears STAAR Lens
STAAR Surgical Co., which has a manufacturing plant in Aliso Viejo, said this month that the Medical Devices Bureau of Health Canada approved its EVO Visian ICL vision correction lens.
STAAR is based in Monrovia in Los Angeles County and designs, develops, manufactures and markets implantable lenses for eyes, along with delivery devices.
The company said in a statement that EVO works with the patient’s natural eye to correct nearsightedness. It’s positioned indefinitely inside the eye between the patient’s iris and natural lens.
Health Canada’s approval “reinforces our deep commitment to patients seeking visual freedom, as we continue to build our growing [EVO lens] portfolio. [We look] forward to bringing this visual freedom choice to the Canadian refractive surgery market,” said Caren Mason, STAAR’s chief executive.
Ensign Buys in Iowa
Mission Viejo-based Ensign Group Inc. said Cornerstone Health, its home health and hospice portfolio subsidiary, acquired Hospice for Wright County in Wright County, Iowa, this month. The nursing home operator didn’t disclose a purchase price.
Ensign said in a news release that Hospice for Wright County will be operated by Heartland Healthcare, a Cornerstone unit, and do business under the name Gateway Hospice.
The deal brings Ensign’s portfolio to 204 healthcare facilities, 34 of which it owns; 16 hospice agencies; 15 home healthcare agencies; three home healthcare businesses; and 17 urgent care clinics in California and 13 other states.
Axonics Gets Patents
Irvine-based medical device maker Axonics Modulation Technologies Inc. said it received six patents for its implantable neuromodulator technology.
Axonics is developing implantable medical devices to treat urinary and fecal incontinence. Its device is rechargeable and intended to last 15 years in a patient’s body after implantation.
The company said it now has 45 issued domestic and international patents in its portfolio and has 75 pending patent applications.
Bits & Pieces
Irvine-based Kareo Inc. introduced what it called a “complete technology platform” for independent medical practices. The company, which specializes in cloud-based software serving smaller practices, said the platform includes clinical, administrative, billing, practice marketing and patient engagement. … Anaheim-based ClearFlow Inc. said that it will work with Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic on research concerning a continuous quality improvement program for patients recovering from heart surgery. ClearFlow makes a device designed to reduce the amount of retained blood after cardiac procedures. … Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Orange said it won workplace transformation and workplace of the year awards from the Washington, D.C.-based Advisory Board Co., a healthcare, research and education performance improvement organization. … Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, with campuses in Newport Beach and Irvine, said it was recognized by industry publication Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the “100 great hospitals in America.” It also received the designation in 2012, 2013 and 2015. … Santa Ana-based Irvine Scientific received Food and Drug Administration clearance for expanded use of its Vit Kit procedure to include human oocytes, which are unfertilized eggs. Irvine Scientific makes cell culture media, reagents and medical devices for researchers and clinicians.
